The Golden State Valkyries kicked off their first-ever WNBA Semifinals trip with a massive statement win, taking down the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces 71-60 on Sunday afternoon. This isn’t just a big victory, it’s a monumental one for the Valkyries, who proved they absolutely can hang with, and beat, an Aces squad that had swept them in all three regular season matchups. Plus, winning Game 1 in a best-of-five series historically means a 70% chance of winning the whole series in the WNBA. So yeah, Golden State striking first is a HUGE advantage as they chase a trip to the WNBA Finals in only their second season.
Valkyries Lock Down The Champs Early
If you’ve watched these teams at all this year, you know what Game 1 was gonna be all about: defense. Golden State had the best defensive rating in the entire WNBA, like, by a mile, while Vegas was no slouch at fifth in the 15-team league. The Valkyries set the tone right away. Kiah Stokes came out and absolutely stuffed A’ja Wilson, who’s probably about to snag her third consecutive and fifth overall MVP award this season, on the very first possession of the game. That wasn’t some fluke play either, the Valks were flying around, playing with the kind of tremendous defense and insane energy you’d expect in an early-game playoff battle.
Gritty Offense Fights Through Struggles To Secure The Win
Even with that relentless defense, Golden State’s offensive execution was a bit ahead of their actual success early on. They were doing all the right things, moving the ball super well, getting some great looks, and even crashing the boards for a ton of offensive rebounds. But man, the shots just weren’t falling, even some wide-open triples. Meanwhile, A’ja Wilson started to get to work for the Aces, who were up 11-8 at the first timeout, almost halfway through the first quarter. But then Gabby Williams, who had a rough first half on Friday, drained a mid-range jumper out of that timeout, and it was a sign of things turning around for her. That break seemed to totally energize the Valkyries, who immediately locked in for a stop, which led to a clutch Kayla Thornton triple. From that point on, it became an absolutely thrilling game. Both teams were bringing A+ energy and effort, and the pace was just excellent. Golden State’s defense really clamped down late in the quarter, completely swarming Vegas, and you could feel Ballhalla at Chase Center popping, embracing that high-stakes basketball. The two-for-one play near the end of the quarter highlighted their success: after a Valkyries miss, they grabbed their sixth offensive rebound of the quarter (compared to zero for the Aces!). That led to Williams getting fouled, capping off a truly gutsy quarter.
So what’s next? This series is just getting started, but the Valkyries just dropped a huge bomb on the defending champs. They’ve shown they can win the defensive battle and grind out a victory even when shots aren’t falling perfectly. Keep your eyes glued to this series, because Golden State is seriously pushing for a Finals appearance, and they’ve already got one foot in the door after this statement Game 1.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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